THE Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee announced the inclusion of five e-sports titles in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
The games Dota 2, Starcraft 2, Tekken 7, Arena of Valor, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang are the official line-up so far to be featured in the sporting event.
Last November 26, the SEA Games Federation Council first announced the final list of the 56 sports included in the SEA Games. E-sports has been catalogued in Category 3 alongside arnis, floorball, jiu jitsu, kick boxing, wakeboarding, among others.
In the e-sports category, games are subdivided into three groups: PC games, console games, and mobile games. Each category has their own respective titles and will only need one more console game to complete the line-up.
“It's about time,” Cebu City Sports Commission head Edward Hayco said.
The inclusion of e-sports in the SEA Games is a stepping stone for the gaming community to be taken seriously, Hayco said.
“It's just like chess that uses different strategies and skills. A lot of those who play this uses their intellect to actually win the game,” Hayco added.
Hayco is excited to see where this progress is going, especially to Cebuano gamers whom he admits have a very difficult journey for e-games to be accepted as a legitimate sport.
Since e-sports is fairly new to the sporting world, Hayco admitted that funding for e-players is up to the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympics Committee but is probable.
“We may consider them as long as long as they have programs for grassroots. They have to help the community first,” Hayco said.
Even as they welcome this development, they will treat the e-players as equal with other sports.
“We are very supportive of e-sports,” Hayco said. “No exception. We will support it all the way.”
Gene Francis Osorio, co-founder of the Cebu E-Sports United, said that the announcement will have a big impact in the e-sports community in Cebu.
“This is a very good news. It's good because people will now take us seriously as players and the game as a professional sport,” said Osorio.
Osorio said that Cebu will definitely join the competition as there are many good players in the province, noting its major e-sports team: Team Admiral.
He added that there will most probably be a qualifying competition in Cebu that will determine who will be the province's final roster.
“This is open to all. Even if kanto-kanto (street player) ra ka nga team, if they have the skills, they can qualify. But regulations have yet to be settled,” Osorio said.
Osorio is hopeful that at some point, the local government will fund e-sports players, especially the lesser-known and up-and-coming sports.
“Just like how they funded the skating park, we also hope that they will support us, especially the younger generations who will be professionals-to-be,” he said.
The Cebu gaming community is in full support on the movement to push e-sports in the Olympics.
“To the younger generation, do good in the upcoming qualifiers,” Osorio added.
The 30th Southeast Asian Games will open on November 30, 2019. (JGS)